But I guess, yes, they are looking for another driver teacher for Stroll. They should have tried to get Perez before he extended with FI IMO.

A comeback of Kubica could be exciting if he is on form. Di Resta, uninspiring okay, but why not. Massa really would be uninspiring.

Why? Don't get me wrong, Stroll has been pretty solid for the most part but I don't see greatness there. It's one thing to let him pay for his seat. it;s another thing alltogether to build the team around him. IMO there are only 5 drivers in F1 who are worth doing that for and he's not one of them.

Kubica is the only remotely exciting prospect for me, though considering his probable level if he came back I'd probably prefer seeing Wehrlein or even Giovinazzi in that car. But OK, Martini. Unfortunate.

I'd like to see Kubica come back but only if he can prove that he can cope physically with a whole race weekend on a regular basis, perhaps if they signed him on a race by race basis or signed him for half a season at first and then reviewed the situation half way through and if he's struggling put Di Resta in the car for the remaining races. Having Martini only allowing someone over 25 in the car does not help the situation. I did also wonder if Williams had approached Rosberg about coming back (not that I would want him to).

My quandary with Williams is not that the drivers are uninspiring but rather they are a bit of an unknown quantity. For example I’d like to see where Alonso could place the car.

I read somewhere that the '18 car will be a complete overhaul & will have substantial inputs from Paddy Lowe. A lot is expected from Williams next year.

While I expect the 2018 car to be a step up in terms of design philsophy, I think the lesson should be learned from James Allison's stint at Ferrari to not expect a full performance turnaround from the first new car. While Ferrari will definitely credit the present team as having all of the glory for where they are now (and indeed, they will have had the most sizable impact on it and I don't wish to diminish what they have achieve) given that Formula 1 cars are a constant evolution (and despite the 'dramatic' differences to car design this season, they are still continuing the philosophies of previous seasons, just with new limits on what they are allowed to do) meaning that I would expect that many of the structural changes Allison made did not come to fruition until this season.

Designing a good F1 car isn't just about good ideas, it's about a team learning to operate in a new way. A very simple example is a football team suddenly having to play in a different formation. It may be that the new formation is a much better philosophy, but the players were used to playing the other way so could get the maximum of the potential of their old method compared to a less efficient potential of the better one.

While the 2018 car should be better than their 2017 one, it is 2019 that I would have patience for before expecting them to be challenging at a significantly higher level.

I was never really on the Kubica hype train, but I've got to say I'd like to see him make a comeback to F1. As much as anything because I'm curious as to whether he'd be able to perform close to the level he was at prior to his accident. And as a Massa fan, I'm actually okay with him retiring (for sure) this time. There is nothing to get excited about seeing him driving a Williams which, most weekends, is in a battle just to make it into Q3. And I don't believe they're about to make a significant step forward to change that; if anything I think Renault and McLaren will be ahead next year. It's as good a time as any for Massa to get out of F1.

I like Kubica as a person, but I never quite bought into the hype. One attrition based win and a minimal margin over Heideld wasnt enough to convince me. I know the other drivers rate him, but I also remember Fisichella being viewed in the same way..

Di Resta, again, nice enough guy, had a shot but didn't really show signs if being anything more than competent.

I like Kubica as a person, but I never quite bought into the hype. One attrition based win and a minimal margin over Heideld wasnt enough to convince me. I know the other drivers rate him, but I also remember Fisichella being viewed in the same way..

Di Resta, again, nice enough guy, had a shot but didn't really show signs if being anything more than competent.

I sort of agree but sometimes Kubica was capable of outstanding performances.

I like Kubica as a person, but I never quite bought into the hype. One attrition based win and a minimal margin over Heideld wasnt enough to convince me. I know the other drivers rate him, but I also remember Fisichella being viewed in the same way..

Di Resta, again, nice enough guy, had a shot but didn't really show signs if being anything more than competent.

He was the star of the show for me in 2008. Spinning off in Silverstone is the only time I can recall him putting a foot wrong. And blew me away a number of times in 2010 - so much so that I still think he put a better season together than any of the title contenders

I like Kubica as a person, but I never quite bought into the hype. One attrition based win and a minimal margin over Heideld wasnt enough to convince me. I know the other drivers rate him, but I also remember Fisichella being viewed in the same way..

Di Resta, again, nice enough guy, had a shot but didn't really show signs if being anything more than competent.

I sort of agree but sometimes Kubica was capable of outstanding performances.

Maybe that would suit Williams better. Reliable to bring home points without showing up the 'other' driver, even if only at times. He is seen on tv and keeps the public face, and is 'mates' with the commentators so there would be extra coverage of the Williams name, as there is of RBR with DC and Webbo. Known entity with little abrasion and a good yardstick without the flash to detract from the chosen one, who incidentally is coming along well so if he beats PD so much the better for them.

I like Kubica as a person, but I never quite bought into the hype. One attrition based win and a minimal margin over Heideld wasnt enough to convince me. I know the other drivers rate him, but I also remember Fisichella being viewed in the same way..

Di Resta, again, nice enough guy, had a shot but didn't really show signs if being anything more than competent.

Heidfeld also said that Kimi was his fastest team mate by some margin. Although it was at the height of Kubica hype in 2008, so he may have just been a bit miffed / passive aggressive.

I like Kubica as a person, but I never quite bought into the hype. One attrition based win and a minimal margin over Heideld wasnt enough to convince me. I know the other drivers rate him, but I also remember Fisichella being viewed in the same way..

Di Resta, again, nice enough guy, had a shot but didn't really show signs if being anything more than competent.

Heidfeld also said that Kimi was his fastest team mate by some margin. Although it was at the height of Kubica hype in 2008, so he may have just been a bit miffed / passive aggressive.

I like Kubica as a person, but I never quite bought into the hype. One attrition based win and a minimal margin over Heideld wasnt enough to convince me. I know the other drivers rate him, but I also remember Fisichella being viewed in the same way..

Di Resta, again, nice enough guy, had a shot but didn't really show signs if being anything more than competent.

The unknown is what getting another chance at F1 brings to the table in terms of temperament. Both these guys would be salivating at the idea of another go at F1, but its a different kind of motivation because they've been there before, know what to expect, but also know how rare it is to get a second chance. Mentally they would be approaching it like being able to re-live your 20s with the knowledge of your 30s, and that could translate into lap times.

I like Kubica as a person, but I never quite bought into the hype. One attrition based win and a minimal margin over Heideld wasnt enough to convince me. I know the other drivers rate him, but I also remember Fisichella being viewed in the same way..

Di Resta, again, nice enough guy, had a shot but didn't really show signs if being anything more than competent.

He was the star of the show for me in 2008. Spinning off in Silverstone is the only time I can recall him putting a foot wrong. And blew me away a number of times in 2010 - so much so that I still think he put a better season together than any of the title contenders

I think Kubica is a solid driver but when his benchmark was Nick Heidfeld and Vitaly Petrov, I'm unsure I could bestow such accolades on him. Nick beat him in 07 and 09.It would have been interesting to see him against a rated team mate as to better gauge where he really stood.

I like Kubica as a person, but I never quite bought into the hype. One attrition based win and a minimal margin over Heideld wasnt enough to convince me. I know the other drivers rate him, but I also remember Fisichella being viewed in the same way..

Di Resta, again, nice enough guy, had a shot but didn't really show signs if being anything more than competent.

He was the star of the show for me in 2008. Spinning off in Silverstone is the only time I can recall him putting a foot wrong. And blew me away a number of times in 2010 - so much so that I still think he put a better season together than any of the title contenders

I think Kubica is a solid driver but when his benchmark was Nick Heidfeld and Vitaly Petrov, I'm unsure I could bestow such accolades on him. Nick beat him in 07 and 09.It would have been interesting to see him against a rated team mate as to better gauge where he really stood.

2007 was Kubica's first full season. Heidfeld also beat Raikkonen in 2001

Either way I greatly admired Heidfeld. I don't know if any other modern day driver was screwed over so many times.- Lined up for a McLaren seat - in walks Kimi- First (and only) genuine opportunity at a race win - aaah we'll go with the other guy- Lined up for a Mercedes seat - in walks Michael bloody Schumacher- Driving a Lotus with the dodgiest of designs - gets the sack. Then of course they put together their stellar 2012 machine

Dude couldn't catch a break. And now he's Quick Nick with the most races/no wins record, a journeyman teammate that you should be embarrassed to lose to. Well he was no all-time great but he was better than the stats show

What does the guy in the other car have to do with it anyway? Kubica drove better than anyone else in 2008 and there's a strong case for 2010. Put Fred Flintstone in the other BMW or Renault and I don't know why that should lessen Kubica's performance. It's an open secret that he was going to be in the other Ferrari in 2012. The match-up you crave would have happened if things didn't go a certain way